Cristopher Cichocki is a visual, performing, sound and video artist from the Coachella Valley who we have been following ever since we started The CVAS back in 2008.

Cichocki has a style, mission, and message that is all his own. He doesn’t conform to boundaries, in fact he picks them apart, breaks them down, takes them out of their comfort zone and then spray paints them bright neon colors.

To start his summer off, Cichocki is heading to San Diego for a show at the Museum of Photographic Arts. We had the opportunity to catch up with him before his show to ask him a couple questions about his latest project.

Take a look & listen, Cichocki is an artist from the desert to keep an eye on this summer.

Cristopher Cichocki @ The Museum of Photographic Arts from Cristopher Sea on Vimeo.

INTERVIEW: Cristopher Cichocki

on his recently exhibition at Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego

Tell us a little about your show with MOPA. What is it about? What themes are you exploring?

The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) in San Diego invited me to kick off their new experimental series The Darkroom that will feature multi-media, performance & installation artists. My installation & audiovisual performance Circulation is in conjunction with MOPA’s current exhibition After Ansel Adams which features works by renowned photographer Ansel Adams along with a new generation of contemporary artists exploring the same National Park landscapes Adams had photographed. MOPA curator Chantel Paul was drawn to my work about the Salton Sea in relationship to this exhibition. My work is a collision between mankind, industry, and the natural world. There’s a mutation between organic and synthetic elements. Through the use of painting, sculpture, photography, sound, video and installation I’ve developed Circulation into a multi-sensory environment incorporating elements of black light and 3-D. The 3-D element is a new direction for me and I’m beyond excited to debut it at MOPA this Thursday night.

Why “Circulation”?

Circulation is about interconnection. Everything is temporary and shifting within a complex universe we’ve barely explored..

Can you tell us a little something about the bands performing at the after party?

I set up a show at The Bancroft Bar with LA’s HABITS, San Diego’s Cabuloan and some of my favorite desert rats Greasetrap & Town Troubles. The show starts @ 9:30 which is right after my event so it’s gonna be an action packed night if you want it to in San Diego.

What other projects do you have planned this summer? Next season?

In July I’ll be in an artist residency at Summit located in Eden, Utah. I was invited to exhibit my work last year at the event Summit Outside which was an amazing event bringing together artists, scientists and business innovators. They asked me back to do this year’s artist residency where I have a totally different involvement. I’ll be making installations throughout the Utah landscape along with performing new audiovisual works as the featured artist from July 7 to 13. After that I have a solo show in October at Imperial Valley College in El Centro. I’m also part of the group show Being Here & There curated by Sant Kahlsa at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History November 22, 2014 through January 11, 2015. There’s some other projects in the works but I can’t disclose the details yet. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Where can we find you on the web?

My Website: http://cristophersea.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/cristophersea

Tumblr: http://cristophersea.tumblr.com/

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/cristopher

What’s coming up next?

Museum of Photographic Arts (“Circulation” solo performance) San Diego, CA – June 26, 2014

Summit Artist Residency (showcased artist) Eden, UT – July 7 – 13, 2014

Imperial Valley College (“Inversion” solo show) El Centro, CA – October 2 – 28, 2014

Lancaster Museum of Art and History (“Being Here & There” group show curated by Sant Khalsa) Lancaster, CA – November 22, 2014 – January 11, 2015

Cristopher Cichocki – Video Composition Performance @ Palm Springs Art Museum from Cristopher Sea on Vimeo.

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The Darkroom: Cristopher Cichocki

link: http://www.mopa.org/event/2014-06-26/darkroom-cristopher-cichocki

Join MOPA for the inaugural event in our experimental forum, The Darkroom. Comprised of artist performances, lectures, and film screenings, this provocative series will provide an exploratory environment and immersive experience in the photographic arts. Guests can mix and mingle in the Museum’s galleries and enjoy creative cocktails from the bar.

In conjunction with our exhibition After Ansel Adams, MOPA is proud to bring multi-disciplinary Coachella Valley artist, Cristopher Cichocki, to San Diego for the first time. Cichocki will present Circulation, a site-specific installation, accompanied by two audio/visual performances in 3-D along with a DJ set curated by the artist.

Cichocki’s work, inspired by the intersection of mankind, the natural world, and industry invites a full sensory experience through his combination of painting, photography, sculpture, video, and sound. Concerned with notions of sustainability and our effect on the environment, his work has focused intensely on the Salton Sea and surrounding desert regions. Cristopher Cichocki’s work has been shown internationally, including the Palm Springs Art Museum, Museum of Image and Sound Sao Paulo, Casa Franca Brasil Rio de Janerio, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, among others.

Thursday, June 26, 2014
Bar opens at 6:00
Performances begin at 7:00 & 8:00pm
Free with Museum admission
For additional questions, contact Melissa Pfeiffer, pfeiffer@mopa.org; 619.238.7559 ext. 290

What is the MOPA?

The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film, and video.

http://www.mopa.org

The after party to Cichocki’s art show will be at The Bancroft bar in San Diego. Cristopher has curated the evening and will feature HABITS (Los Angeles), CABULOAN (San Diego), GREASETRAP (Coachella Valley), and Town Troubles (Coachella Valley). The after party makes for a well-rounded evening, and even more of a reason for a desert rat to make their way down to the big city to support some local artists.

Check it out: